UC Davis audit of equestrian program’s transition to club status determines that Athletic Department acted in good faith

“In-kind” donations to equestrian program were “appropriately” accounted for, but audit recommends UCD Athletics change its reporting practices

The following information was provided in a press release from UC Davis News and Media Relations.

The University of California, Davis’ Audit and Management Advisory Services (AMAS) released its independent audit of the financial records related to the NCAA Division I Women’s Equestrian program, which transitioned to a club sport on July 1, 2026.

The audit was conducted to determine if all required procedures were followed as the equestrian program was dropped from varsity to club status.

The University of California Office of the President’s Ethics, Compliance and Audit Services’ Quality Assurance team reviewed and confirmed AMAS’ organizational independence, conformance with auditing standards and key audit work papers and supporting documentation.

The audit did not find that Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca, members of the Athletics leadership team and other university officials acted outside of good faith or failed to comply with university protocols and accounting best practices during the evaluation process. AMAS also found no deviation from acceptable practice in how Athletics leadership and university officials carried out their responsibilities.

AMAS found that several outside parties, including consulting firms and concerned external stakeholders, relied on NCAA reporting to understand the basis for a decision to transition equestrian from a varsity to a club sport, and this led to assumptions that the university erroneously included the value of in-kind donations in estimates of potential cost savings. However, AMAS found that the decision was based on budgeting documents separately prepared for the UC Davis budget office, which did not include the value of in-kind donations.

AMAS concluded that UC Davis budget documents “appropriately” excluded the in-kind donations, which resulted in a difference of $690,000 between the NCAA-reported numbers and UC Davis’ internal budgeting in fiscal 2025.

AMAS recommended that Athletics strengthen its financial reporting practices by adopting standardized methods. In recent years, Athletics has prepared and reviewed financial outcomes using processes that were not based on accepted reporting workbooks or other formal, documented procedures. AMAS recommended that Athletics adopt standard practices, such as those that the NCAA uses, to bring its reporting into alignment with industry-recognized standards.

UC Davis leaders accept the audit’s recommendations to strengthen Athletics’ financial reporting processes and will implement appropriate corrective actions.

The university is committed to carefully reviewing allegations when they are brought forward and takes seriously any concerns raised.

UC Davis leaders have confidence in the professionalism, integrity and judgment of Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca, the Athletics leadership team and the university officials who participated in this process.